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by CWK Network, Inc.

RESOURCE GUIDEParents & Kids Grades 6-12

for parents & kidsJust Once: The Dangers of Methamphetamines

# 5284

“Just Once” .

CONTENTS PAGE #

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Just OnceTo police and DEA officers, methamphetamine is the drug they hate most. It ischeap, easy to make and highly addictive – even after one use. “Meth” is ruiningentire rural areas and towns across America – and spreading. Learn thedevastating health risks and behavioral dangers, and what some people are doingto fight back.

This resource guide is designed to accompany the video entitled

• Methamphetamine Fact Sheet 2

• Parent Tip Sheet 3

• Grades 6-8 Lesson Plan 4-5

• Grades 9-12 Lesson Plan 6-7

• Discussion Questions 8

• Self-Reflection Questions 9

NOTE: The topic of methamphetamine is a very serious one and needs to be presented with sensitivity to children inan age-appropriate manner. The documentary Just Once and its resource guide are directed at adolescents and arenot designed for elementary school children.

© 2006 CWK Network, Inc.

For more information about Connect with Kids programs and other family education resources, please visit

www.ActiveParenting.com or call (800) 825-0060.

Methamphetamine Fact Sheet Just Once

WHAT WE KNOWCrystal Methamphetamine (crystal meth) is theillegal street form of the drug d-methamphetamine,a colorless, odorless, powerful and highly addictiveman-made stimulant that resembles smallfragments of glass or blue-white crystals. Alsocalled “ice,” “crystal,” “glass,” or “tina,” crystal methis easily produced in “home labs,” often in a kitchenor a bathroom, from ingredients easily purchased atdrug stores and hardware stores. It has become thedrug of choice in poor, rural and small towns acrossNorth America in part because it is cheap and alsogives energy to increase work time. Recently it hasbecome popular at “raves” or all night parties inlarger cities, and it is becoming more and moreprevalent in suburban areas.

Crystal meth can be smoked, snorted (inhaled) orinjected. The drug affects the central nervoussystem, releasing abnormally high levels ofdopamine in the brain which causes a “rush,”leading to intense pleasure for a period of time froma few to 60 minutes with lasting effects between sixto 24 hours. It is the quick “rush” or “flash” that oftencauses immediate addiction and dependence, butat a terrible price.

THE RISKSA body constantly stimulated by crystal meth cansuffer irreparable damage, including strokes,irregular heartbeat, heart attacks and even death.As more and more dopamine is released, braincells are damaged and the amount of dopamineavailable to the brain can be severely reduced. Thiscan cause symptoms similar to Parkinson’s diseaseand serious depression; an abuser can lose theability to ever have a natural pleasant reaction toanything in his/her life. Other consequences ofmethamphetamine use include:

• Irritability

• Insomnia

• Confusion and/or hallucinations

• Anxiety and/or paranoia

• Increased aggression

• Hypothermia

• Convulsions

• Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea

• Skin ulceration and infection, the result of picking at imaginary bugs on or under the skin

• Loss of appetite and weight loss

• Dental deterioration and loss of teeth

WHAT CAN WE DO?Crystal meth affects entire communities. Actionbegins with education and so the first steps are tolearn as much about the drug as possible, includinghow to recognize it and how to recognize signs ofmeth use, production and dealing. Resources andsupport can be found in your community throughlaw enforcement agencies, hospitals and mentalhealth agencies, to name a few, as well as onlinethrough organizations such as Partnership for aDrug-Free America, the National Drug InformationCenter, and Life or Meth.

RESOURCESCBC News Indepth: Drugs

Crystal Meth Anonymous

Life or Meth

National Drug Information Center

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America


© 2006 CWK Network, Inc. PUBLISHER GRANTS PERMISSION TO DUPLICATE THIS PAGE AS NEEDED.3

Parent Tip Sheet Just Once

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOWTHE WARNING SIGNS Experts at the Partnership for a Drug-Free Americawarn parents to look for any of the following signsof short-term use of crystal meth:

• Inability to sleep – Change in your teen’s sleeping patterns, especially if pulling all-nightersfor days on end

• Nervous physical activity – Constantly fidgeting, picking or scratching at skin

• Decreased appetite – Loses interest in food; becomes thin rapidly

• Euphoria/rush – Extremely alert and energetic, even after extended hours without sleep

• Increased respiration and/or increased body temperature – Out of breath for no reason due to the increased heart rate caused by the drug

• Burns, nosebleeds or track marks – Has strange burn marks on lips or fingers from smoking meth through a metal or glass pipe; snorting meth can cause nosebleeds or destroy the septum inside the nose; intravenous marks from shooting up can appear on arms

• Carelessness about appearance – Meth users often lose interest in hygiene and grooming

• Violence and aggression – Meth affects the central nervous system, which can cause huge mood swings and hostile or violent behavior

• Deceitfulness and secretiveness – Suddenly becomes vague about plans and will not give information as to destinations or individuals

• Presence of inhaling and injecting supplies –Razor blades, mirrors, straws, syringes, spoons, surgical tubing – these are the paraphernalia of drug abuse

• Withdrawal from friends and family – A meth user has only one set of friends: Those who can get the drug and those who do the drug with him/her

Dependence and addiction to crystal meth occursquickly and easily and is also extremely difficult toovercome. Long-term use can result psychosis,hallucinations, paranoia, mood disturbances andrepetitive motor activity. Abusers can also sufferfrom severe weight loss, memory impairment andquite often can suffer strokes, liver failure or heartfailure.

WHAT YOU CAN DONational statistics show that children beginexperimenting with cigarettes, alcohol and drugs asearly as age 12, so the first line of defense is agood offense early on. Educate yourself aboutdrugs and drug abuse in your community. Talk toyour children – not once, but repeatedly – about thedangers of drugs and the emotional, psychological,physical and legal consequences of using and/orabusing drugs of any kind. Understand they areunder a lot of pressure from their peers, but also befirm in setting boundaries of acceptable andunacceptable behaviors and activities. Support theirattempts to stay or become “clean.” Above all, findhelp in your community, and know you are notalone in the fight against crystal meth.

RESOURCESCBC News Indepth: Drugs

Crystal Meth Anonymous

Life or Meth

National Drug Information Center

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America

SAMHSA’s National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information

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Grades 6-8 Lesson Plan Peer Pressure Cooker

Just Once

For theClassroom

PROJECT AND PURPOSEIn the closing section of the documentary, students see Danny, a 17-year-old child of meth-addictedparents, attending a support group to help him cope with his parents’ addiction and help him continue tosay an emphatic “No!” to crystal meth. His group helps him stay away from it, walk away from it and liveclean. In this lesson, students will practice ways to say “No” to drugs, substances and other risky situations.

OBJECTIVESStudents will ...• Brainstorm ways to say “No.”• Practice their skills in role-playing activities.

MATERIALS• Board/overhead projector• Paper • Pens/pencils• Open space for “rehearsal” and “performance”

PROCEDURE

1. Ask students to remember their decision-making skills from elementary school. Ask: How did you make decisions about big issues? What did you do? How did you think it through? When you did not want to do something, what did you say?

2. Ask them how they dealt with peer pressure when they were younger. What kinds of things did they say to their friends when they did not want to do something or try something? Write these phrases on the board.

3. Compare and contrast what they did and said when they were younger to now. Ask: Are the situations the same or different? Do you say the same things? How do you say “No” now? Collect a list of their current “No” phrases or actions on the board.

4. Explain that it can be good to actually practice or prepare “No” phrases or actions ahead of time, beforeyou are presented with opportunities for risky behavior.

5. Break them into groups of no more than four, and give each group a situation where they would need todeal with peer pressure and try to say “No.” (Note: A possible list can be found at the end of the lesson.) As a group, they should write a list of the possible consequences of saying “No,” as well as saying “Yes.” What could happen if they do give in to peer pressure? What could happen if they don’t?

6. When they have finished the preparation, tell the groups to role-play their situation. Each member of thegroup should play a part in the scenario, even if it is to narrate or introduce the scene. Give the groups approximately 10 to 15 minutes to practice their scenes.

7. Have the groups present their scenes and ask the rest of the class to discuss whether the decision made was risky or healthy. Why? Remember, they are not commenting on the performance, they are

(continued on next page)


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Grades 6-8 Lesson Plan Peer Pressure Cooker (cont.)

Just Once

For theClassroom

commenting on the choices made in the scene. If the choice was a risky or dangerous one, ask the class to create a realistic alternative scenario.

8. After all the presentations are complete, ask them to write a response to the following situation: Think ofthe one thing in your life that is so important to you that you would not give it up or change it, regardless of what your friends think. How would you deal with your friends if they asked you to give it up or to do something that would destroy your chances of ever doing this again?

EVALUATION• Did students understand the concept of peer pressure?• Did students contribute to the discussions on past and present ways to say “No?”• Did each student participate in the small group to discuss, write, create, rehearse and present a scene?• Did each student write a response to the activity?

POSSIBLE SCENARIOS

1. Your friends are majorly into shoplifting and want you to come with them on their next “party.”

2. Your friend invites you to a party but you know his/her parents will not be home, just his/her big brother.

3. The gate to the community pool has been left open at night and some friends invite you to join them in taking advantage of the situation.

4. You have just made the football team, but by a narrow margin. All the other players are bigger than you,and you know you can pump up by using the little red pills your friend uses regularly.

5. A bunch of friends decide to cut class on Thursday and go to the baseball game and they want you to go with them.

6. Your best friends from your old school have recently started smoking around the back of the school. They offer you a cigarette.

7. You are on a train going to a concert with a group of friends and one of them offers you a water bottle that is full of vodka and orange juice.

8. After the movies your friends want you to come with them to meet some suspicious looking “friends” around the back of the theater.


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Grades 9-12 Lesson Plan Getting All The Facts

Just Once

For theClassroom

PROJECT AND PURPOSEThe documentary shows gruesomely factual life stories of crystal meth addicts and the horribleconsequences of their addiction. Yet some teens still think they are invincible and can avoid addiction: “Itwill never happen to me.” In this lesson teens will research the facts that refute the attractive lures andtemptations often presented to them by their peers encouraging them to try crystal meth.

OBJECTIVESStudents will ...• Research facts behind crystal meth lures.• Analyze their methods of discovering the truth.• Write a personal response to discovering the truth about an issue.

MATERIALS• Board/overhead projector• Paper • Pens/pencils• Resource materials• Access to Internet, if possible

PROCEDURE

1. Begin class with a discussion of lures. Ask: What is a lure? Who uses lures and why? Explain the analogy: A lure is to a fish as an advertisement is to a teenager.

2. Collect a list of things that lured them in when they were children. This might include candy or toys or activities they wanted or wanted to do when they were kids, or even things that try to lure them in today.Discuss whether or not they were “caught” by the lure and what the consequences were. Did they havea good experience? Why or why not?

3. Compare this advertising nowadays. What are some of the products or services advertised on television meant to lure them in? Have they tried any of these products or services? Did it work out as promised? What were the consequences?

4. Ask: What are some things your friends, peers or people in your community try to lure you into doing ortrying? Are these good or bad things? How do you know? What do they say? Do they ever discuss the consequences? Explain your answers.

5. Explain that some people try to convince others to do, buy or try things using lures as 100 percent “truth” while ignoring the consequences. This is repeatedly the case with drugs, especially crystal meth.

6. Write each of the lures from the list on the board, on an overhead projector or on individual slips of paper. CRYSTAL METH LURES:• Meth gives an awesome rush • Meth makes you feel and look sexy

(continued on next page)


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Grades 9-12 Lesson Plan Getting All The Facts (cont.)

Just Once

For theClassroom

• You’ll never get caught making it because you use stuff from the drug store and the hardware store • Meth helps when you need to pull an all-nighter• Meth can help you lose weight• Meth gives you the energy to clean up and get organized• Meth can give you the confidence you need to talk to people• Everybody’s doing it

7. Break the students into small groups and assign each group one of the crystal meth lures. Their job is to research “the truth” – to find facts that provide the whole truth and/or prove the statement false. The second part of their assignment is to rewrite the lure as a truth. Possible Internet resources include: Crystal Meth Anonymous, www.crystalmeth.org; Life or Meth, www.lifeormeth.org; National Drug Information Center, www.usdoj.gov; The Partnership for a Drug-Free America, www.drugfree.org.

8. Give them an appropriate amount of time to complete their research, being sure to record their resources and take notes, and then gather them together to share their “truths.”

9. Ask the students about their methods for learning the truth. How do they know it is a reliable source? What would make a teenager believe the “truth” over the “lure?”

10. What is the greater truth to learn from this exercise? (Possible answer: Always check sources or reviewthe research before buying, believing or trying something.)

11. Have students write a personal response to the activity. How would you deal with anyone who might offer you a “lure?”

EVALUATION• Did students understand the concept of a lure?• Did students contribute to the discussions?• Did each student participate in the small group to conduct and present research?• Did each student write a response to the activity?


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Discussion QuestionsJust OnceOPENING1. Describe the “rare glimpse into the dark and hidden world of meth” offered in the first two minutes of

the documentary.2. Why is crystal meth the drug police hate most?3. Why are teenage brains at more risk for permanent damage from crystal meth than adult brains?

PART ONE1. Describe Jamie Kane’s addiction story. To what does she attribute her addiction?2. What is dopamine? How does crystal meth affect dopamine? What does this do to the crystal

meth user?3. What does Jamie mean when she says, “Everything you do is controlled by [crystal meth]?”4. Do you think Jamie has a valid point when she says her father should have been stricter with her, or

do you think it is just an excuse? Explain your answer.

PART TWO1. What happened to Mike Murphy when his meth lab exploded? Why didn’t he receive treatment right

away? What does that tell you about the “friends” a person makes through crystal meth?2. How did being cut from the baseball team contribute to his meth addiction?3. Where do police find most crystal meth use in the United States? What will happen if it expands to

other parts of the country?

PART THREE1. How did meth make Meghanne Gorgone feel when she first started using the drug?2. How did the drug affect her physically?3. How did meth affect her neurotransmitters and her dopamine levels? What does that mean for

her lifetime?4. Why do people call Meghanne “a walking miracle?”

CLOSE1. What does Danny’s support group help him do? Why does he attend?2. Why does Armando Corpus, a drug counselor, say, “It’s not okay for parents to feel comfortable with

experimentation?” Do you agree or disagree?3. Do you agree or disagree with Mike Murphy’s closing words of advice to parents? Explain your answer.


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Self-Reflection Questions Just Once1. Why do kids try crystal meth? Why do they continue?

2. What are some of the signs of crystal meth use?

3. Do you think most kids would avoid meth if they knew the facts of addiction? Why?

4. Do you think parents can deter kids from using drugs like crystal meth? Explain.

5. How can parents find the balance between being a parent who is too controlling and a parent who is too lenient?

6. Why is it so hard for crystal meth addicts to “dig themselves out?”

7. How do you keep anyone, especially 12- and 13-year-olds, from trying meth?

8. The documentary does not talk about what effective treatment Meghanne Gorgone received, just that she is one of the few success stories of crystal meth addicts who “got off” the drug. What do you think worked for her? What would a detox plan for crystal meth need to cover to be successful? Why?

9. Is there something that you wanted to stop doing in your own life that was difficult for you overcome? How were you able to be successful?

10. Knowing what you know about crystal meth, would you ever use it? Why or why not? What would be the most effective way of keeping YOU off crystal meth? Have you seen it yet?


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